Ninja 650R - Ownership Thread

[speedemon]

@speedemon,
How much did the tankpad cost you and from where?

Hey Vinbex, Rs1,200 from Performance Racing Store Mumbai. They had this in full black as well! Satyen was with me when I bought these, along with another N650 owner - that's how he knows!

When we rode back home from the store, we did get a lot of attention - 3 green 650Rs riding in a pack made most onlookers stare and question us quite a bit. The query I liked best was when an old uncle asked one of us - "Race chalu hai kya?". This was the only time I enjoyed the attention while riding.

[icemang]

Hello speeddemon,

One of the best reviews I have read yet. It informs the potential rider about the Benefits of the bike and leaves the Features and Attributes to be enjoyed thru the Benefits.

Please do write a detailed review as and when you get the time. I would be highly interested in a two-up review as I intend to get the bike for long tours with my wife.

Again, an excellent review.

[speedemon]

Hello speeddemon,

Please do write a detailed review as and when you get the time. I would be highly interested in a two-up review as I intend to get the bike for long tours with my wife.

Again, an excellent review.

Thanks for your appreciation icemang! Yes, I will try my best to put up a more detailed review as I gain more miles on my N650R. I will be servicing my bike this week, and if I manage to click some pics I would definitely upload them on this thread.

I also intend to ride longer distances with my better half soon, so will keep you updated on the same. As for now, we have done a few short round trips (~50-75km) in Mumbai, and she absolutely loves the ride comfort. This motorcycle has made her appreciate why I love motorcycling so much, and she looks forward to these short trips on the weekend. She absolutely hates sitting pillion on the R15 (first gen) and prefers the Pulsar180 Phantom to the Yamaha. We went riding with a friend who has the Bullet Classic 350 - yes, she did find its pillion seat and ride quality better than the N650R, but the Ninja wasn't too far away in this aspect.

However, I can't comment on the long distance pillion comfort yet. One thing I can definitely vouch for on the N650R is that even with a pillion, the ride handling still holds up quite well, compared to the smaller motorcycles I own. That is a big positive for me!

[Sarvajit]

@satyenpoojary: Have you got yours?

[satyenpoojary]

You arent as active on Facebook eh
Click on the blog :P

[shivi2]

Hi-Speedemon- I got my 650 a few days back and am getting a loud -defective wheel bearing kind of noise from the front wheel/area.. increases with speed and stays on even after I cut the engine- the 650 seems to have a 'fairing buzz' problem -http://homepages.slingshot.co.nz/~shanetp/FAQ.html#Question_10

and I was wondering if anyone here has experienced the same??? I took the front wheel up on my stand and spun the wheel- just a little noise of the calipers touching the discs- dont think this is the cause of the rather loud buzz/humm.....Pro bike has yet to inspect it and I was wondering if anyone here has the same problem???

[ajithk]

are you sure it is not the calipers dragging? use a rubber mallet and gently knock the calipers sideways until the noise from them dragging stops and then retry the rotate front wheel test. Another possibility is that when the front end is loaded, something is touching the wheel. Could be anything from the brake lines to the fender. Check for anything that is loose. When you take it to the probiking center to get it looked at, see if you can demonstrate this on a downslope so the engine noises are ruled out.

[ajithk]

Any updates shivi2? Did you find out what the problem was?

[shivi2]

Any updates shivi2? Did you find out what the problem was?

some expert from Bajaj who handles both KTM and Kawasaki is supposed to come over this weekend to take a look at it-

[ajithk]

Mine came home yesterday. Only have about 3 kms under the belt and am limited to 4k rpm, so i'll stick to really basic first impressions.
- Hides its weight well. Ridden with authority, even in running period, it only feels like a more powerful Karizma. Helps ease the transition to more motorcycle.
- Clutch is very light (second only to the monster 796) and makes trundling through traffic very easy.
- Lots of low end but not as brutal as a thumper (as in a dirt bike, not the REs).
- Love the stock engine note. Some people like the I4 wail but i like this gruff burble. In fact, puttering through traffic in 5th, the engine note is like an urgent bullet.
- Tank sits high up and for me on my very new bike, you can tell the difference between an empty and full tank in its reluctance to turn in.
- Compared to one of the I4 600s or even the GT650, the steering is far lighter and makes long rides on our roads which demand frequent direction adjustments less strenuous.

More when i have more. The good times just started to roll (at 80kph )

-Ajith

[ajithk]

Good stuff shivi. Keep us updated. Anyone do any mods to the bike yet. Mine will loose the monstrosity of a saree guard this monday.

Anyone do a "parade" mod yet? This involves installing a thermostat bypass switch to keep the fan running continuously for slow moving traffic situations.

[Speed-freak]

My Mean Green Kwacker

Hello XBhpians.

This would be my first post on Xbhp after getting delivery of my bike, i was fortunate to get the 1st delivery of the N650 in the country on 15th July 2011. Since then i have clocked almost 4000 amazing kms.

I avoid riding the bike to work except on Fridays, i have had a good share of rides in this 4k kms, these includes a solo ride to Goa and back in peak monsoons, lots of rides to Lonavala (Tiger Point) and an equal number of rides with the SBK riders of mumbai to igatpuri.

My experience so far has been more than pleasant, There are some issues that i feel need to be rectified or could be better are

1. Brakes
2. HeadLights

I have added a host of equipment or Aftermarket components to my babe and the list goes like..

1. Zero Gravity - Smoked Windscreen - SR
2. Kieti Tankpads
3. Akrapovic Titanium Slip-ons
4. R&G Racing - Frame Sliders
5. R&G Racing - Fendor Eliminator
6. R&G Racing - Micro Indicators
7. Vortex Swingarm Spools
8. Custom painted Rims

[shelton_jh]

Nice, Congrats. Where did you get the helmet from? Goes well with the bike.

What about the brakes & Headlights ? Are they insufficient?

Ride safe and Wish you many more happy kms in this awesome bike

Hello XBhpians.

This would be my first post on Xbhp after getting delivery of my bike, i was fortunate to get the 1st delivery of the N650 in the country on 15th July 2011. Since then i have clocked almost 4000 amazing kms.

I avoid riding the bike to work except on Fridays, i have had a good share of rides in this 4k kms, these includes a solo ride to Goa and back in peak monsoons, lots of rides to Lonavala (Tiger Point) and an equal number of rides with the SBK riders of mumbai to igatpuri.

My experience so far has been more than pleasant, There are some issues that i feel need to be rectified or could be better are

1. Brakes
2. HeadLights

[rakshit rana]

wow!! the kwacker sure looks more meaner now with mods.How about installing aftermarket HID's?Keep updating & Keep riding.
Cheers

[ajithk]

are the lamps H4 mount? Anyone know?

Edit : Confirmed they are H7.